Multiplayer online trivia games and tournaments played for prizes

ABSTRACT

The present invention discloses a method for an online trivia game having a price per round, between a plurality of players as organized by the “house”. The method comprises presenting of questions to each other by the participants for a cash prize. The invention additionally discloses a system for an online trivia game wherein participants present questions to each other or a cash prize. The system comprises: a Web site to connect the participants over an electronic network based on client/server technology; at least one client built on Flash technology; at least one server (C#, .Net, Web service based); at least one game server having a TCP/IP connection based on win socket technology; and messages protocol for Xml structure messaging.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for trivia games, and more particularly to a system and a method for a variety of multiplayer online trivia games and tournaments played for prizes, wherein the players ask questions of each other.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the classic multiplayer trivia game players join a trivia table and play against the clock to try to beat other players to the right answers. In effect, they compete against each other. The concept is simple: the player who answers all questions correctly first wins the prize. Other games may offer the prize to the player with the highest number of correct answers, or split the prizes between the first few players, or roll it over to the next tournament if no player answers correctly.

Online games have been around since the early days of the internet. Initially, they were very basic due to the underdeveloped nature of the internet, i.e., connection speed and reliability; limited technology and limited PC computing power. With the increasing acceptance of the internet, technology improvements, both in computer languages, such as Flash and Java, and in PC computing power and penetration of broadband connections to a large percentage of households, games have become more and more sophisticated.

Various genres of games have evolved and can be distinguished into 3 main categories:

-   -   Simple games, commonly referred to as casual games     -   Serious PC games which have complex rules of play     -   Role playing games, also referred to as Massive Multiplayer         Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG)

Online Trivia has been around for over a decade. One of the first companies to enter this field is www.triviawars.com, which commenced in 1995 and claims that over 790 million games have been played to date in over 100 trivia categories. Other companies who have built a significant online business include www.funtrivia.com which boasts over 1.8 million members and 1.2 million questions.

The classic trivia games online are games whereby a multiple answer question is be presented to a player, and the player has to choose the correct answer. Most of them are ‘play-for-fun’ games, where the players do not need to pay a fee to participate. Rarely do these games offer prizes or cash to the winners. These games can be found on dozens of sites such as:

-   -   www.funtrivia.com on the game named InstaQuiz     -   www.trivia.com     -   www.puzz.com     -   www.triviapark.com     -   www.mindfun.com     -   www.farwesttrivia.com

The most popular version of a single player trivia offline is the TV show “Who wants to be a Millionaire” whereby several participants compete for the right to participate in the $1,000,000 prize if they correctly answer 15 trivia questions. This show has become a global hit and has been adopted in dozens of countries and viewed by hundreds of millions. An online version of the game also exists, but does not offer prizes and does not create the same viewer or player experience as the TV format.

Multiplayer (Team) Trivia Against the House

Some sites allow players to create a team and play the trivia games together against the house, sharing their wits. One such example is FunTrivia's TeamTrivia game. Most such games do not charge a participation fee and do not offer prizes.

Other Multiplayer Trivia (Player Vs Other Players)

Several companies such as www.funtrivia.com and www.triviabox.com offer games whereby a group of players compete against each other online. In the game ‘Last One Standing’ which appears in both sites, participants are all asked the same questions and the player who answers the most questions accurately wins the game. These games can be played for fun or for small amounts of money (several Dollars per player).

Competition in the Online Trivia Space

Online trivia has existed for many years and many online gaming companies offer the ‘plain vanilla’60 trivia games whereby players test their wits against the site's database of questions. Some notable companies that provide play for fun trivia include www.FunTrivia.com and www.triviaworld.com.

There are a handful of companies that offer ‘real money’ trivia competitions.

There are two companies that offer a multiplayer trivia game whereby players compete against each for real money:

-   -   www.triviabox.com. TriviaBox has launched their service in         September 2005 as a standalone website as well as in cooperation         with sites such as FunTrivia which hosts their game. While their         site seems to have a small amount of traffic and players, the         company claims that players win hundreds of dollars and more in         their tournaments and real money events.     -   www.triviaguy.com—This site allows players to play against each         other for real money, whereby the stakes played are $0.25 per         player. There are several categories of trivia questions, and to         date the largest ever single category jackpot won was $43.25, in         which 173 players participated with a $0.25 buy in each.

Tournaments

There is a growing trend in online tournament game sites such as the online poker industry from ring games, the equivalent of “Sit & Go” games, towards tournament based games. This is often due to the attractiveness of these games to players due to higher excitement and prizes. Tournaments are an important component of the multiplayer trivia offering not only because they provide additional revenue in the form of entry fees but also because they generate interest in the site.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a variety of trivia games, wherein the rules vary, for example, by number of participants, topics of trivia questions, winning payouts and other criteria.

It is a further principal object of the present invention to provide online trivia games, wherein the players ask questions of each other for prizes.

It is another principal object of the present invention to provide an online trivia tournament format offering single table events where 4 to 6 players are sitting in a multiplayer table to see who is the best and most knowledgeable player. Once a predefined number of players arrive, the game begins.

The present invention provides 24/7 availability to competitive Trivia players. The Googes Trivia Poker format are single and Multi table events where two to five players pit their trivia skills against each other—competing to real money pots.

Players have to answer questions from a house database of thousands of questions or by submitting their own questions using a pre-qualified system ensuring the right use of players' questions. The winner is the fastest player to answer correctly or the player with the most number of corrected answers depending on the type of game.

The application allows non-stop trivia poker online events. A game is available whenever a player is looking for one. Any day, any time, you can sit at a tournament table and enjoy the experience. Players are NOT playing against the house—players compete against each other allowing the most skillful player to win it all. Once a set number of players arrive, the game begins. Multi-table tournaments consist of a number of 5 player tables, allowing bigger prizes and a more exciting tournament.

There are two game options that can be chosen by the players:

-   -   Sit & Go tournaments: Single table (4to 6 players)     -   Tournaments: Regular and special

Multi table tournaments consist of a number of 5 to hundreds of tables, allowing bigger prizes and a more exciting tournament.

The games are played in the Website of the present invention and there is no need to download any software to the players' personal computers.

The Player Chooses From the Available Game Types and Options

-   -   Sit & Go tournaments begin when a pre-set number of players         register to a game; and     -   Regular and Special Tournaments begin in a certain time and can         entertain thousands of players per tournament.

The player is seated at the table and confirms debiting his account for the ‘Buy in’60 and the house fee in order to register to the game. Immediately after this confirmation the account is debited these amounts. Each game has a different Buy in and house fee. Some games may have no Buy in and house fees in order to allow players to practice and get acquainted with the game.

The game begins and the questions are shown on the players' screen. The game will be composed of all the categories available in the trivia game: for example: general trivia, music, television, cinema, food and wine, money and finance, computers and science, history, sports, etc. Each player in his/her turn, presents a question to the other players, hoping to guess their weaker points, and presenting them with questions they are unlikely to answer correctly. The winner of the round is the first to answer the questions, or alternatively, in case no player answered correctly—the player himself (who presented the question) is the winner of the round. The amount won is the total amount accumulated in the cashier, minus 22% house fee.

At the end of each game the system declares the winner/winners and pays out the winnings automatically to their accounts. The winner is often the player who answered all questions accurately first or the player with the largest number of accurate answers, but some games may allow multiple winners (e.g. 2^(nd) and 3^(rd) prizes).

The present invention includes over a dozen trivia games ranging from the commonly played trivia game whereby players compete against each other and against the clock. The software platform allows insertion of new games as soon as developed.

Sit & Go Games

This is the quickest way to start playing, as the player can choose the next available game which would usually have a lower minimum number of players than a tournament and commences as soon as the last person needed joins. Sit & Go games are available with various Buy-Ins, number of players per game, topics and rules.

Tournaments are divided into 2 formats: single table (up to 50 players) and mutil table. In both cases players pay a ‘buy in’ and a “house-fee” in order to register to a tournament.

Tournaments operate on a “knock-out” system, whereby players are eliminated at the end of each round. Eventually the remaining players end up on one final table and the winner in the final table wins the tournament. The prizes are the aggregated “buy ins” of all the participants in the tournament. The greater the number of players in the multiplayer tournament, the larger the prizes.

Mass multi players tournaments will be conducted on a regular basis. Players will be able to register in advance in order to assure their participation. Five minutes prior to the tournament's start the registration will automatically close.

Once the tournament begins, the players will be seated randomly around the tournament's tables and the first round will begin. At the end of each round the player with the highest score in each table will qualify to the next level. The tournament's main event will be “the final table” which will consist of the pre selected number of best players in the tournament. The winner of the final table will take the biggest prize the runner up will take the 2^(nd) biggest prize. Tournaments of 1,000 participants, each ‘buying in’ for $10, will be able to offer significant prizes, much in the same way poker tournaments offer prizes of over $1 million.

Prior to the beginning of the game:

Every player must draw an amount of questions (and answers) by his choice from the question bank. Each player's bank will be considered his own and will not be resold to the other players. If a player chooses to leave the game, the questions will be kept for him in his “private bank” for future use. Every player enters the game with a certain amount of questions to be played out, the amount is visible to other players, along with his name or nickname.

The question bank is composed of questions from the question banks of the proprietary Web site, and of questions submitted by the players:

1. Proprietary questions will cover all categories. Level of difficulty shall not be declared. Once the game has begun, the questions will be chosen randomly from the reservoir. The player can buy more questions upon request from the proprietary question banks.

2. The questions written by the players must be submitted for review prior to the game, never pulled out or authorized online. Preferably, at least three experts will review each submitted question, prior to its authorization. Only authorized questions can be presented by the writer/player to other players during a game. Reviewing time is estimated at maximum one hour from submission. The aim is to prevent unreasonable and/or unacceptable issues asked.

Number of Participants

There are approximately 4-6 participants per table. A game may begin once two players have signed in, but preferably no more than 6. There is no time limit whatsoever, and players are able to go on playing as much as they desire. This is similar to a table of poker, or changing places in a card game.

Every player must draw an amount of questions with answers, according to his choice from his own question bank. Each player's bank will be considered his own and will not be resold to the other players. If a player chooses to leave the game, the questions will be kept or him in his “private bank” for future use

The question bank is composed of questions submitted by the writers and reviewed by Googess™. The questions written by the players must be submitted for review prior to the game, and preferably not pulled out or authorized online. Only authorized questions can be presented by the writer/player to other players during a game. The aim is to prevent unreasonable and/or unacceptable issues asked. Alternatively, players will be able to draw questions from the Googess™ question bank, if their own questions do not suffice. Level of difficulty shall not be declared. Once the game has begun, the questions will be chosen randomly from the reservoir, according to a preferred embodiment.

Aim of the Game

The player's aim is to answer correctly as many questions as possible while spotting the other competitors' weak fields of expertise. The game will be composed of all the categories available in the trivia game: for example: General trivia, music, television, cinema, food and wine, money and finance, computers and science, history, sports, etc. Each player in his/her turn, presents a question to the players, hoping to guess which their weaker points are, and presenting them with questions they are unlikely to answer correctly.

An Ongoing Game

Players can join in the game at any point, (similar to joining a poker table) for a minimum of 2 rounds. Players are allowed to leave once a round has been completed. A round is defined as all players presenting one questions to the others.

Once they are in, they must wait one round to begin playing, i.e. presenting the questions of their choice to the other players.

The screen may be divided as follows, for example:

-   -   Avatars of the players, their nicknames as well as the number of         winnings they had accumulated. The player who is currently         presenting his question will be highlighted or marked as the         present speaker.     -   The number of questions a player had stored, i.e. the number of         rounds he is about to take on, is shown under his nickname.     -   Frame of question presented with the optional answers         underneath. Once the time is up, the correct answer will be         marked, singled out on the mutual screen.     -   Clock showing the amount of time left for clicking the right         answer.     -   The tournaments will be divided to according to the level of         players: under 1000 scores and above 1000 previous scores in         order to separate trivia-professionals from ordinary trivia         player.

There is a growing trend in online tournament game sites such as the online poker industry from ring games, the equivalent of “Sit & Go” games, towards Tournament based games. This is often due to the attractiveness of these games to players due to higher excitement and prizes. Tournaments are an important component of the multiplayer trivia offering not only because they provide additional revenue in the form of entry fees but also because they generate interest in the site.

-   -   The players who had reached the highest scores in 24 hours games         will be asked to enter the weekly game. Every month the winners         of the 4 games will compete amongst themselves.     -   The games will be held in certain fee levels. High tables will         risk larger amount of money per question.

Sponsors

Various commercial firms will be asked to take part in sponsoring, or solely sponsor a tournament. The tournament may be named after their firm-name. These firms could offer their clients a few free games, or, alternatively request a special table to be devoted to their field. The tournaments may be held around key dates, to give the commercial sponsors an edge, while promoting a new product.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows hereinafter may be better understood. Additional details and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description, and in part will be appreciated from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to understand the invention and to see how it may be carried out in practice, a preferred embodiment will now be described, by way of a non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exemplary screenshot of the logon screen, constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary screenshot of the registration screen, constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary screenshot of the lobby screen, constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary screenshot of the home user's PC screen while playing a trivia game, constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is an exemplary schematic diagram of a scalable system design, constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

The principles and operation of a method and an apparatus according to the present invention may be better understood with reference to the drawings and the accompanying description, it being understood that these drawings are given for illustrative purposes only and are not meant to be limiting.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary screenshot of the logon screen, constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The player will surf to the Website of the present invention and will click on the ‘launch application’ button. A Flash client will open on the Visitors' screen and invite him/her to log in 105, or if not a member, to sign up. If the player is a member he fills in the standard entry boxes for Username 110 and Password 120, and presses the Enter button 130. If the player is not a member he progresses to the registration screen. Table 1 shows the preferences for a logon screen.

TABLE 1 1. User Name A new player has to choose a nickname to use in the tables. The Nickname is unique for the user and no one else can choose the same nickname. 2. Password The user has to choose a password (minimum 6 characters). 3. Login button Providing login operation to the registration web service in order to identify the user in front of the system. In case the user name and the password match the user registration data, the lobby screen will open. 4. New user click Will open registration wizard for new user. here image button 5. Forgot Will open forgotten password window. password link button

FIG. 2 is an exemplary screenshot of the registration screen 200, constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. Demographic information of the user 210 is filled out. At this stage the player will be taken into the “Games Lobby” where all games and tournaments will be listed. Tables 2a and 2b shows preferred embodiment elements of the registration screen.

TABLE 2a DESCRIPTION Registration process will be separated to a few steps. In the first step user will have to fill all mandatory fields. Mandatory fields will be shown with an * in case the field is empty. SCREEN ELEMENTS NAME DESCRIPTION 1. Preferred User A new player has to choose a nickname to use Name in the tables. The Nickname is unique for the user and no one else can choose the same nickname. 2. Preferred Password A new player has to choose a password (minimum 6 characters). 3. Email Address A new player has to register an email address where he will receive all information from the proprietary Web site. 4. Country drop down A new user has to select country of living in list the country drop down 5. Date of birth 3 drop A new user has to register his date of birth downs (He has to be more than 18 years old) 6. Gender A new user has to register his gender 7. Back image button Will open previous screen 8. Continue image Will open next registration screen button

TABLE 2b Registration Screen - Step 2 DESCRIPTION Second step of the registration process. All fields are optional SCREEN ELEMENTS NAME DESCRIPTION 1. First Name First name of a new player. 2. Last Name Second name of a new player 3. Address Address of a new player 4. City Zip code of a new player 5. Phone Phone of a new player 6. Back image button Will open previous screen 9. Continue image Will open next registration screen button

FIG. 3 is an exemplary screenshot of the lobby screen 300, constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The player will be able to filter through the possibilities by looking for specific categories of games, games within categories 310, specific topics, minimum or maximum number of players, how many players are currently seated 320 or ticket prices 330, etc.

The player chooses from the available game types and options:

-   -   Sit & Go tournaments begin as soon as a pre-set number of         players register to a game.     -   Regular and Special Tournaments begin in a certain time and can         entertain thousands of players per tournament.

The player is seated at the table and confirms debiting his account for the ‘Buy in’ and the house fee in order to register to the game. Immediately after this confirmation the account is debited these amounts. Each game has a different Buy in and house fee. Some games may have no Buy in and house fees in order to allow players to practice and get acquainted with the game.

The game begins and the questions are shown on the players' screen. At the end of each game the system declares the winner(s) and pays out the winnings automatically to their accounts. The winner is often the player who answered all questions accurately first or the player with the largest number of accurate answers, but some games may allow multiple winners (e.g. 2^(nd) and 3^(rd) prizes).

Players can join in the game at any point, similar to joining a poker table, for a minimum of 2-3 rounds. Players are allowed to leave once a round has been completed. A round is defined as all players presenting one questions to the others. Once they are in, they must wait one round to begin playing, i.e. presenting the questions of their choice to the other players.

Over a dozen trivia games have been developed for the present invention, including the commonly played trivia game whereby players compete against each other and against the clock. Different types of games have devised in order to appeal to a wider range of players, e.g. those who's interest is in a specific field, those interested in ‘one-on-one’ competitions, tournament lovers and so forth.

Sit & Go Games

This is the quickest way to start playing, as the player can choose the next available game, which would usually have a lower minimum number of players than a tournament and commences as soon as the last person needed joins. Sit & Go games are available with various Buy-Ins, number of players per game, topics and rules. Table 3 shows entries for a preferred embodiment of the lobby screen.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary screenshot of the home user's game screen 400 while playing a trivia game, constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. Features shown include the amount of a cash prize 410, “my answer” buttons 420, players 430, current question and answers 440, questions remaining 450 and the “Next question” button 460. Table 4 shows a preferred embodiment for the elements of game screen 400.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary schematic diagram of a scalable system design, constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. A user 510 and his personal computer are shown connected to the Web site 520 of the present invention.

Having described the present invention with regard to certain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the description is not meant as a limitation, since further modifications will now suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and it is intended to cover such modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims. 

1. A method for an online trivia game having a price per round between a plurality of players as organized by the “house,” the method comprising presenting of questions to each other by the participants for a cash prize.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising; preparing questions, wherein some of said questions are purchased from the house and some of said questions are prepared by each of said plurality of players and submitted for review by the house, wherein said prepared questions are deposited a question bank of each of said plurality of players; choosing a table by at least two players, according to the price per round; depositing an amount of money for the next question by each of said at least two players; choosing on his turn by each player of one of his questions and presenting it to the rest of the players at the table, wherein the question and at least two possible answers appear in a question box; and choosing an answer by said rest of the players and clicking said answer within a specified time limit.
 3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising waiting at least one round by a player wishing to enter an ongoing game.
 4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising a red light appearing on the screen of a player clicking the wrong answer and blocking the clicking of another option.
 5. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: a green light appearing on the screen of a player clicking right answer and the round is virtually over; the winners name will appear on the screen; money deposited for this round “flying over” to the player who had answered correctly in the shortest period of time; and if none of the answers was correct, the money going to the player who presented the question; and if more than one player answered correctly at the same time, the winnings are divided between them.
 6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising offering each of the players to play another round.
 7. The method according to claim 3, further comprising drawing a plurality of questions of his choice by each player from his own question bank
 8. A system for an online trivia game wherein participants present questions to each other for a cash prize, said system comprising: a Web site to connect the participants over an electronic network based on client/server technology; at least one client built on Flash technology; at least one server, C#, .Net, Web service based; at least one game server having a TCP/IP connection based on win socket technology; and messages protocol for Xml structure messaging. 